neuter
/ˈnutər/
noun
- A neuter word or form in grammar.
- In this language, the neuter is used for objects and abstract ideas.
- The teacher asked us to identify all the neuters in the sentence.
- Latin has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.
- A neuter animal, especially a worker bee or ant.
- The beekeeper explained that the neuters are all female.
- The colony's neuters do all the work except reproduction.
- Neuters in an ant colony gather food and defend the nest.
verb
- To remove the reproductive organs of an animal to prevent it from breeding.
- They decided to neuter their dog to avoid unwanted puppies.
- Many animal shelters neuter pets before adoption.
- The vet will neuter the kitten next week.
- To make something less effective or powerful.
- The editor's changes neutered the article's strong message.
- The new regulations could neuter the company's ability to compete.
- Budget cuts threatened to neuter the research program.
adjective
- In grammar, referring to a gender that is neither masculine nor feminine.
- Students learning Latin must memorize neuter noun endings.
- The pronoun 'it' is a neuter pronoun in English.
- In German, the word for 'girl' is neuter, not feminine.
- Having no sexual organs or having undeveloped sexual organs; used especially for plants and insects.
- Some flowers have neuter parts that do not produce seeds.
- The neuter hydrangea blooms are showy but sterile.
- Worker bees are neuter and cannot reproduce.